Cyber terrorism represents a much unknown facet of extreme Islamic terrorism.

One must be extremely knowledgeable and well-versed in multi disciplines to gain a deep understanding of the professional meaning and potential destructive impact that cyber terrorism has on modern economies, national security and politics, and virtually on every aspect of our daily life.

Dark Web terrorism, the “military” version of cyber terrorism application is known even less.

Terrorists have become skilled operators in cyberspace, using the online world to send messages, plan operations and distribute propaganda.That's in addition to the threat of computer-based attacks on critical systems all over the globe.Pittsburgh plays a big role in the cyber war on terror and on Wednesday, the director of the FBI was in town to talk about it.

"If we lose the Internet, we do not simply lose the ability to e-mail or to surf the Web. We lose access to our data. We lose our connectivity. We lose our intellectual property. We lose our security.

While much attention is focused on the protection of private personal information, there has been little public discussion of the real potential for attacks on our critical infrastructure.  We occasionally see a committee meeting or short lived news program, but there is little sustained public debate and consideration of this vital issue. 

A recent denial-of-service attack on government and private sector computer systems in Estonia has spurred renewed interest in cybersecurity.

The Bush Administration is preparing to unveil a major "Cyber Initiative" designed to thwart malicious acts by states or transnational threats. Congress is pressing for details and consultation on the plan, and the House Homeland Security Committee recently announced the creation of a commission to study the government's proposals.

As these efforts get underway, Congress and the Administration need to ensure that their initiatives meet all of the nation's priorities: enhancing security, promoting economic growth, and preserving the liberty and privacy of American citizens and respecting those of our friends and allies.

Interpol president Jackie Selebi said Interpol would soon put in place a new system called I-LINK which would allow specialized crime investigators to instantly check and exchange information from the body's databases on terrorism, child exploitation, drugs and high-tech crime.

"The tools we have put in place have an almost unlimited potential to further strengthen global policing," he said.

"We must continue to anticipate future crime threats and act now to prevent now," he said.

Terrorism and human trafficking are also high on the agenda of the assembly, as well as the opening in Vienna next year of an Interpol anti-corruption school, the first world training body dedicated to the fight against graft.

Malaysia hopes to make an impact in the global war against cyber terror with the setting up of an international centre that will have leading names in the IT industry serving on its advisory board. 

The Government has approved RM43mil to set up the centre, aptly called Impact (International Multinational Partnership Against Cyber Terrorism), in Cyberjaya. 

With 85 percent of the country’s critical infrastructure in private hands, the federal government must make sure that the 17 infrastructure sectors include cybersecurity in their plans to protect themselves against cyberattacks and disaster, an official of the Government Accountability Office has told two House panels.

However, none of the sectors included in their sector plans all 30 cybersecurity criteria, such as key vulnerabilities and measures to reduce them, the official also testified.

The critical infrastructure includes sectors such as water, transportation and energy, but even those chiefly physical infrastructure sectors rely on computerized control systems.

Of the 17 sectors, information technology and communications had the strongest cybersecurity plans, said David Powner, director of GAO's information technology management issues. The agriculture, food and commercial sectors were the least comprehensive, he said.

Security experts are doubtful but wary about a reported cyber jihad attack set to happen on Nov. 11 involving hundreds of thousands of Islamist hackers against allegedly anti-Muslim websites.